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0. T SHEPARD;

TRUNDLE CRIB. No.274,9.8-2.1 I Patented Apr. a, 188 3 4 Km 02% 7 52 r z 222:3: I wezuoz.

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TRUNDLB GRIB.

No. 274,982. Patented Apr.,3, l883.

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N. PETERS. Phalo-Lilhugnpller. wmaw. D c.

UNITED STATES;

P ATENT OFFICE.

OEIAELES T. SHEPARD, or ALBANY, NEW YoEK, ASSIGNOR or oriE-EALE TO WILLIAM ArPLEToN, JR, OF SAME PLAoE.

TRUNDILE-CRIB.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 274,982, dated April 3, 1883.

Application filed May 11, 1880. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES T. SHEPARD, a

citizen of the United States, residing in the city of Albany, in the county of Albany and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Trundle-Gribs.&c., of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in trundle-cribs and similar articles in which the body-of the crib is provided with folding side and end pieces, and with folding legs to adapt the crib to have its vertical extension from the floor increased or lessened, as will be hereinafter described.

The object of my invention is to provide means by which the folding legs of the crib will be locked in vertical position when the crib is to beused; and also means by which the legs will be readily folded beneath the '20 bodyof the crib when it is desired to reduce the height of the crib for placing it beneath a bedstead, or for storage or transportation. I attain these objects by means of the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings,

in which- Figure 1 represents a perspective view of my improved trundle-crib when its several parts are folded together for being trundled beneath a bedstead. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the same when standing erect for use. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of the same. Fig. 4: is a cross sectional view. Fig.5 is across-sectional view of the crib when its several parts are folded together. Fig. 6

3 5 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale, illustrating the manner in which the folding legs are hinged and operated and braced. Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken in the transverse, and illustrating the' same. Fig.8 is an enlarged 0 view of the manner in which the bed-slats are supported, and Fig. 9 is a perspective view, on an enlarged scale, of the wedging stop-plates.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

4 5 In the drawings,A A represent the bed-case, which case is made with a depth of about six inches, (more or less,) and has its end portions securely joined together with brackets a a at the corners. Within this case is placed elas- 5o tic bed-bottom B, formed of end bars, b b, and

longitudinal slats c c, which bottom is supported by springs s 8, held by drawrods 6 0. Each of said springs is set in a metal cup, (11, resting on end picces,b, and on the upper end of each spring is an inverted cup (1. The drawrods e are formed of wire bent on itself in the form of a loop,and pass up through slats c,end

bar, 1), lower cup, 01, and inverted cup d, and are secured by keyf, passing through the loop and bearing on the upper side of inverted cup 6c (1, and are secured below by the limbs of the loop being bent outward and clinched.

Hinged to brackets a a are folding legs 0 which legs have their ends bearing against the lower side of said brackets, and are adapted 6 to be folded inward beneath the bed-case from upright to horizontal position, and the legs, when folded, will be wholly within the case.

To hold the legs in an upright position and from swaying, andalso to prevent them from being accidentally folded, I employ the pivoted bracing bar or rod D, which rod or bar has its ends securelyconnected with the armsg g. The said arms are pivoted at their opposite ends to the inner sides of the side rails of the bed- 7 case, as shown in Figs.3, 4, 6, 7, and 8,and are capable of being turned in position shown by full lines in Fig. 6 to that of dotted lines g as shown, in the same figure, and the reverse.

Secured to the inner side of each leg is a wedging stop-plate, E, Figs. 6, 7, and 9, which plate is made on its face side with the incline h, iucreasingas it runs downward, and terminates with a holding or stop lip, I. These wedging-stops are secured to the legs at points on their inner sides, which will correspond with the outer ends ofarmsg y when said arms are in position shown in Fig. 6, when each one of a pair of coacting wedging-stops will react against the other by means of the bracing-bar D between them, and will force the legs outward and cause the outer sides, at their hinged upper ends, to bear against the inner surface of the side rails of the case, below brackets a a, while their end surfaces will have a firm bearing against the lower side of said brackets, and the legs will be held from swaying or being accidentally folded inward. By means of the holding-lip 2', made with the base of the wedging-stops, the bracing-bar D and its attoo tachments are held in effective bracing position with the legs.

Secured to each leg is achain or other flexible connection, I, having its opposite end secured to bracing-bar D, as shown. When the said bar is raised up from its bracing position against the wedging-stops, as shown in full lines, to that of dotted lines, it will draw on said chains or connections after the wed gin gstops have ceased to act with said bracing-bar and move the lower ends of the legs inward, so

as to fold them to an inclined position, as indicated by dotted lines 0 O in Fig. 4. From this inclined position the weight of the crib will operate to cause legs to fold fully inward, with the bracing-bar and its attach men ts above, and all beneath and within the lower portion of the bed-case.

When' the end of the bed-case is lifted up above the floor to a distance fully equal to the length ofthe legs, the legs and the bracing-bar will by their own gravity drop down, and the former will be locked in a standing position by the latter.

Hinged to the ends of the bed-case, as at n n, are end boards, F F, and hinged to the side rails, as at m m, (at a short distance below a line on a horizontal plane with hinges n n of the end boards,) are side pieces, G G, equal in length to the distance between the endboards, F F, when standing erect. Pivoted to the upper corners of side pieces, G, are hooks or catches 0 0, which engage with notchespp, made with the end pieces or boards, F.

M is the mattress, supported within the bedcase on the bed-bottom B.

Secured to the bed-case, and preferably from the lower edges of the end portions of the same, are casters 7a 7a. A second set of casters or knobs are secured to the outer sides of the legs for holding the same clear of the floor when the legs are folded beneath the bed-crib.

When it is desired to reduce the crib in its vertical heightforplacingitbeueath abedstead,

or for storage or transportation, the operator will lift bracing-bar D up, when it will pull on the connections l and cause the lower ends of the legs to be drawn inward, when the operator will gradually lower the bed-crib down to the floor, the weight of the criboperating at the same time to cause thelegs to fully fold inward and beneath and within the lower portion of the crib-frame, while the crib will be supported on casters k k. The operator will then fold down the side pieces, G G, and end pieces, F F,when the crib will be reducedinits height to the height of the sides of the crib-frame and its casters.

To prepare the crib for use the operator will turn up the side and end pieces. F and G, and secure the same. He will then lift each end of the crib successively, when the legs will drop down to a standing position, and the bracingbars D will also drop down and engage with the wedging stops or plates E to hold thelegs locked, bracing the said legs.

These improvements are inexpensive and give to the crib advantageous operations which obviate the necessity of the operator exercising any care or special attention when either elevating the crib for occupancy or for reducing its height preparatory to its being placed beneath a bedstead or stored away.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s

1. Thecombination,with case A, having folding legs 0 G, hinged to it at a point above the plane of its lower edge, so as to be folded horizontally and within the same, of the bracingbar D, carried by arms g g, pivoted to said case, and wedging stop-plates E, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination, with the folding legsO O, hinged to the bed-case, and bracing-bar D, carried by arms 9 g, pivoted to said case, and operating to brace said legs against folding inward, of the flexible connection I, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

CHAS. T. SHEPARD.

Witnesses:

CHARLES SELKIRK, RICHARD P. DUMARY. 

